House of Despenser

The House of Despenser was a dynasty of Anglo-Norman nobles that were barons from the 13th to 14th centuries. The family was allied with the House of Plantagenet (the ruling family of the Kingdom of England from 1126 to 1499), and they were massacred by Isabella of France and Roger Mortimer's forces during their invasion of England in 1326.

History
A dynasty originating in the Duchy of Normandy, the family became a dynasty of barons in the Kingdom of England. Their most important scion was Hugh Despenser (1291-1326), who was the royal favorite of King Edward II of England. His father Earl Hugh of Winchester used this friendship to gain lands in England from other lords, leading to a rebellion in 1321-22 known as the Despenser War. The Battle of Boroughbridge ended in the defeat of the rebels, but Roger Mortimer and Isabella of France invaded England in 1326 to depose King Edward II and the Despenser family. At Bristol, Hugh Despenser the Elder was executed, and in November the younger Despenser and Edmund FitzAlan were both executed.